


batmobile lost its wheels

by radiations



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Justice League - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24703558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiations/pseuds/radiations
Summary: of course batman is insane. literally. clinically. sometimes it's just...worse.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne/Wally West
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82





	batmobile lost its wheels

**Author's Note:**

> i might have been going crazy lately. i thought the government was going to come after me and snipe me through my window. needless to say, i needed to get back into writing fanfiction.

If nothing else, Bruce was consistent. A little excessive, intense – some might even call extreme, but Bruce maintained consistency. Of course sometimes Clark gazed at Bruce with an expression that could have been concern – _suspicion –_ but Bruce knew that Clark had too much on his mind to linger for too long about the man behind the cowl. Or the man in the cowl. Either or.

The others too, called him paranoid – neurotic even, some would even say _disturbed_ – but Bruce paid no heed. At the end of it all, they all respected him for his strategies, his critical analysis, and his deductive reasoning skills. He didn’t need them to like him. He just needed them to trust him. Not to mention his incredible genius.

What did it matter that he sometimes hallucinated, heard voices, and was convinced the government were out to kill him? That everyone was out to get him? After all, he had trauma, and poor coping skills, and it wasn’t as though these attributes or the way his severe, deteriorating mental health manifested, were detrimental or debilitating to his day to day life.

Right.

And, sometimes they were useful. The absolute terror spurred and reduced indecision in a way his need to evenly weigh all possible outcomes never did. He listened to his instinct more, because he was in some type of fight or flight mode. Reacted – faster, even. Fear was a good tool.

He was better, some could even say.

“What are you muttering about?” chirped in a tone that was far too light, far too friendly, and Bruce looked up to find bright green eyes peering curiously into his own blue ones. Hm. He hadn’t even noticed the others presence. He needed to pay more attention.

“Flash.”

“Just got here, no worries!” Flash added, animatedly, and grinning at Bruce freely.

Wally West. The speedster. Young, fun, albeit careless sometimes and impulsive, fairly intelligent and the most caring of them all. Maybe a little naïve.

A pregnant pause as Bruce’s mind raced, wondering what the other was referring to as the speedster openly gazed at him.

Flash proceeded to blink, and then sigh, making a movement with his hand, “The best of us talk to ourselves, y’know!”

“Why are you here?” Bruce asked instead, making a point to not address the other’s statements. Flash wasn’t due to change for monitor duty for another 5 hours at _least_ –

“Your shift is over! Don’t tell me you didn’t notice?” Flash quirked an eyebrow at Bruce who felt a slight chill go down the back of his neck. His eyes flitted across the room to find a clock and….

Alas, Flash was right.

He’d lost time. Shit, not again. His mania may be getting worse. He could potentially be borderline psychosis, it was often when he lost time that he lost touch with reality. But if he maintained his composure, aware of his-

“Hey, Bats, you okay?” Wally sounded concerned now, and those green eyes narrowed slightly – _suspicious_ – “You don’t look so good.”

“Hn.” Bruce got up, closing his laptop and storing it in his case. So he’d lost a few hours. Nothing new. He was fine.

As he left the room, he heard a half-hearted,

“Uh, bye, I guess.”

* * *

“Bruce, is everything okay?” It’s Clark, and when Bruce looks away from the screens, Clark’s eyes are fixed to his own earnestly, searching.

“Why?” Bruce asked, shifting his gaze back to the screen. He hadn’t been feeling particularly restless today. What had given it away? He needed to pay more attention.

“You’ve been…quite vigilant these days. Your heartbeat… have you been sleeping?” Clark’s voice was controlled, tone a type of forced calm tat Bruce could see right through. Hear right through. Something.

Clark was concerned. Or – didn’t think he was capable enough. Thought he wasn’t good enough. But he was fine. He was still operating at least at 79.3%. And considering that Bruce excelled when he was operating at 25% when everyone else was at 100%, Bruce didn’t think it was something to worry about quite yet.

“You’ve been in a kind of…state consistently for the last 5 days. It can’t be good for you, Bruce.”

And Bruce cursed himself for forgetting that Clark could monitor him without needing to be close by.

“I’m fine,” Bruce responded, clipped. No need to cause alarm in the other’s mind. Everything was fine.

“Bruce-”

“Names,” Bruce cut off the other, tone harsher than he’d have liked. “And everything is fine. You need to focus on the mission, Superman.”

Clark fell silent, and Bruce tried to quell the unease rising.

* * *

“Bats, can you just relax? We’re the only ones out here.” It was Wally, and Bruce didn’t doubt that the three times the other had whipped around the area in reconnaissance hadn’t been thorough.

But Bruce couldn’t let down his guard. Had the pressing thought that if he relaxed, the world itself would collapse in on itself and crush the speedster in the process.

Which would absolutely not be ideal.

“I’m relaxed,” Bruce opted to say instead.

Flash said nothing for a bit, and they continued to walk, Bruce staring at the GPS on his tracker.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something…” Flash – no, Wally – no, Flash – started, and something spiked in the pit of Bruce’s stomach.

And then a shrill beeping pierced the air from the tracker and Bruce would have dropped the gadget if his grasp hadn’t tightened to the point of whitening his knuckles.

“We’re found,” Bruce breathed, and Wally’s hand gripped his elbow and suddenly he was _moving_.

A rush later and he’s collapsed on the ground, not registering when Wally had let go of him.

They were – hidden? In the shade. Dark. His eyes adjusted.

“I’m calling for backup,” Wally said, followed by some beeping.

How’d they’d known? How’d they’d been tracked? Wally – had seemed nervous before, almost apprehensive –

Bruce didn’t recall when it was that he’d lunged at the speedster, and Wally, catching his breath had the wind kicked out of him as the full weight of the other man shoved him against the ground.

“Batman – what!”

“How’d they know?” Bruce demanded, voice hoarse and batarang pressed to the side of Wally’s neck. Wally’s eyes were wide, flitting across Bruce’s cowled expression, something akin to panic in those eyes.

Guilt. Why else would the other have to panic? Flash had betrayed them all –

“Batman, you’re scaring me.” Bruce froze, the sharp edge of the blade pressed to Wally’s neck glistening now with crimson. “Y-you’re scaring me.”

And Bruce heard it. Something like terror lacing Wally’s tone. Of him? Of being – exposed? Or of –

Bruce wanted to relax, but was paralyzed – if he relaxed, what if – Wally –

The walls closed in Bruce felt his body shudder slightly before his eyes rolled back.

And finally, thank god, finally - 

Nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> please validate me


End file.
